While it is Crimean Muslims who are in ever-increasing numbers facing imprisonment for their faith in Russian-occupied Crimea, it was the Orthodox Church under the Kyiv Patriarchate that first came under fire following annexation, and that remains under relentless pressure. It is also only a matter of time before Russia begins imprisoning Crimean Jehovah’s Witnesses, as in Soviet times, either directly for their religious worship which Russia has banned, or because they refuse to renounce their faith in order to be allowed to do alternative military service.
After four years of occupation, it is increasingly clear that only those who show political loyalty to Moscow can hope to enjoy religious freedom. Russia’s religious persecution in occupied Crimea, the similar tactics used by the Kremlin’s proxy ‘republics’ in Donbas, as well as Moscow’s treatment of its own citizens, makes it difficult to understand why the US State Department refused to designate Russia a Country of Particular Concern in 2017.
